The Pink Panther
The Pink Panther is a fictional animated character who appeared in the opening and/or closing credit sequences of every film in the Pink Panther series except for A Shot in the Dark and Inspector Clouseau. In the storyline of the original film, the "Pink Panther" was the name of a valuable pink diamond named for a flaw that showed a "figure of a springing panther" when held up to the light in a certain way; in the credits this was translated to an animated pink panther. The character's popularity spawned a spin-off franchise of theatrical shorts, television cartoons and merchandise. He starred in 124 short films, 10 TV shows and 4 TV specials. The character is closely associated with "The Pink Panther Theme", composed by Henry Mancini. History with the Macy's Parade He first appeared in the parade in 1988 as a 78-foot tall balloon with a 65-foot tail (just like the balloon) to celebrate the film's 25th anniversary and was lead by a walkaround Pink Panther along with his creator, Friz Freleng. The balloon's design shows him in swimming trunks, with an inner tube reading "Macy's Life Guard", but he did wear a scarf for the cold weather. In the 1991 and 1992 parades, the Pink Panther danced with an acting troupe called "The Detectives." Which appeared after the balloon. The character balloon continued to appear in the parade until 1997, after which new size rules prevented him from making any future reappearances, due to the balloon being 78 feet. However, the walkaround Pink Panther returned in 2011 on the "85th Parade Superstars" float, along with other characters who had balloons that had been long retired. In addition to appearing as a balloon, the Pink Panther also appeared as a cold-air inflatable on a Macy's marquee for a Valentine's Day promotion. As of 2014, it still survives in the Parade Studio. Before the balloon was created, a walkaround appeared on The Cootie float in 1976. Incidents Since this character balloon was one of the tallest in the parade's history, he did have his share of incidents. * In 1989, the balloon was punctured which caused his tail to deflate and was punctured further when it missed a traffic signal and crashed straight into a sign. * In 1995, the balloon's stomach was ripped apart, meaning the balloon had to finish lower than usual. Along with this, his left hand and right eye were punctured. * In 1997, The Pink Panther went out of control due to the winds and eventually collapsed. He also almost suffocated a woman and her daughter, who were handling the balloon. He was later destroyed and popped by a streetlight, shredding pieces of the balloon into the crowd, and shortly after by an NYPD officer. According to the balloon handlers, one of their colleagues was knocked unconscious during the feline's collapse, however, the NYPD could not confirm this. Due to the major damage of the balloon, as well as its height, it was retired. Defects * In 1988 and 1991, the balloon's float was a little deflated. * In 1993 and 1994, the balloon's right arm was deflated. * In 1996 and 1997, the balloon's scarf was missing, possibly due to the previous year's accident. Trivia Pink Panther, alongside Kermit the Frog, and Spider-Man, are the only giant balloons known to be ripped at the stomach due to an accident. Music Below, you will find a list of the music tracks that played during the balloon's appearance on the NBC telecast. * "The Pink Panther Theme" by Henry Mancini (Milton DeLugg Arrangement) (1988-1990; 1992-1997) * "The Pink Panther Theme" by Henry Mancini (Normal Version) (1991) Gallery Gallery: The Pink Panther Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:1988 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Movie Characters Category:Big Balloons Category:Retired Balloons Category:Cartoon Characters Category:1980s Balloons Category:Male Balloons Category:Raven Aerostar Balloons Category:Balloons that were in an accident Category:Balloons used outside of the parade Category:Balloons that got removed from the parade